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Compared with 12 other dispersants listed by the EPA, Corexit 9500 and 9527 are either similarly toxic or 10 to 20 times more toxic. [58] In a preliminary EPA study of eight different dispersants, Corexit 9500 was found to be less toxic to some marine life than other dispersants and to break down within weeks, rather than settling to the bottom ...
However, laboratory experiments showed that dispersants increased toxic hydrocarbon levels in fish by a factor of up to 100 and may kill fish eggs. [5] Dispersant Corexit 9527 was for example used to disperse an oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico in 1979 [6] over one thousand square miles of sea.
Oil dispersant mechanism of action. An oil dispersant is a mixture of emulsifiers and solvents that helps break oil into small droplets following an oil spill.Small droplets are easier to disperse throughout a water volume, and small droplets may be more readily biodegraded by microbes in the water.
The BP (BP) oil spill may be over, but controversy over the company's use of toxic oil dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico is still going strong. Although BP allegedly stopped using the chemicals ...
For this reason, usage of oil dispersants, like Corexit, to treat oil spills can increase the uptake of PAHs by increasing their solubility in water and making them more available for uptake via the gills. [10] Once a PAH is taken up, the fish's metabolism can affect the duration and intensity of the exposure to target tissues.
Discussing the dispersants used in the spill, Shaw said that they can be more toxic than either oil or solvent alone because dispersants contain solvents that facilitate rapid entry of oil into cells and organs, She stated that "over time, PAH metabolites can be eliminated from the body, but even brief exposure during critical life stages may ...
It's been nearly five months since the start of the massive BP (BP) oil spill, and many questions about its long-term environmental impact are still unanswered. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of ...
Therefore, fish and other organisms were exposed to the oil for a shorter time than was the case with other oil spills, such as the 1967 Torrey Canyon spill in which the crude was lighter, and emulsified during treatment with massive quantities of toxic dispersants and detergents, causing it to remain in place longer. [27] [34] [35]